BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Beantown, not Hollywood, appears to be drawing the celebrity crowd this week.
Stars, such as Andre 3000, John Cusack and hometown hero Ben Affleck, were sighted at several Democratic National Convention events Monday.
Most of those in the audience at the Boston Hip-Hop Summit on Monday were too young to vote, but just the right age to dash toward the stage and scream their heads off for hip-hop stars including Wyclef Jean, Reverend Run and Lloyd Banks.
About 2,000 people -- most of them kids -- attended the event, one of about two dozen voter registration events hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has staged across the country.
"God knows all the old people are across town talking about our lives and our politics," Simmons, chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, said.
The co-founder of the Def Jam record label, who's also behind the Phat Farm fashion line, said "old people" don't respect the audience's language, music and clothing -- and at 46, he didn't include himself in that category.
"They need our direction. They really don't know how to govern themselves," Simmons said. "They've gotten all of us into a lot of trouble."
Sharing the stage with him on a panel about motivating young people was Simmons' brother, Reverend Run of the rap group Run-DMC. He had two pieces of advice for the crowd.
"No. 1 is believe in God," he said. "No. 2 is find out what you want to be and what you want to do and what you want to have. People start a process and then they give up. The key to success is continuing on."
And Jean, formerly of the Grammy-winning group The Fugees, had this bit of encouragement for the crowd: "I used to work at Burger King and the supervisor said I wouldn't amount to be nothing."
Lloyd Banks isn't thrilled about having his music labeled "gangsta rap." He says he's just trying to tell the truth in order to help other young men.
"My message comes across aggressive because of where I come from," said Banks, whose solo debut, "The Hunger for More," was recently at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. "I put my message out there without it being censored in hopes that someone growing up in another neighborhood won't go through that."
The 22-year-old, who grew up in the violent Jamaica section of Queens in New York, received the loudest cheers during the event.
The Affleck effect
Massachusetts delegates downing cups of coffee and scrambled eggs Monday morning were expecting a rousing political speech from House Democratic firebrand Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, and maybe a Kennedy sighting or two.
What they got was Ben Affleck.
Stunned delegates grabbed their cameras and rushed to the front of the room when the actor and Bostonian stepped out from behind the curtains as a guest of Rep. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts.
Cusack pitches in
John Cusack could have said anything, but the topic was politics when he talked to the Wisconsin delegates.
The actor made a surprise visit to their breakfast Monday to motivate his neighbors to the north to help elect John Kerry.
"I thought the last election was the most important of my life, but now it's clearly this one," the 38-year-old said. "And I don't remember a time when I thought I'd be coming to a political rally and be saying, you know, Richard Nixon was a moderate."
Cusack bonded with the Wisconsin delegates by reminding them his sister, Oscar-nominated actress Joan Cusack ("Working Girl," "In & Out"), attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
King of Idaho
Meet the Democratic Party's secret weapon in Idaho: Carole King.
The singer spoke to Washington and Idaho delegates Monday about how to persuade rural Republicans to vote for John Kerry.
It's not as hard as making the earth move or the sky come tumbling down, in the words of one of her more famous songs, she told the Democrats.
"Be aware of the unrest among some Republicans," said King, who lives in rural Idaho.
"I say, 'I respect the fact that you identify with the Republican party,"' she explained. "Then I say, 'Are you happy with the way things are?' "
King said she tells people, "You don't have to leave your party, but consider voting for a change. ... If you think it through, I respect that you will make the right decision for you."
Smart Alec
The cocktail party was organized to honor the work of Robert F. Kennedy, but the man everyone wanted to talk to was Alec Baldwin.
The actor was swarmed at a fund-raiser Monday evening for the RFK Memorial Foundation, with fans and stargazers -- many of them members of the Kennedy clan -- jockeying to have their picture taken with him.
"I never saw a clearer choice in my life," Baldwin said, describing the Bush administration as being "good at only two things: the economy -- and by that I mean stimulating the Dow, stimulating corporate profits and the Dow -- and waging war. And they basically screwed up both of them, or they're in the process of screwing up both of them."
Baldwin will participate in several events during the convention, including a panel about the Supreme Court and a discussion on politics and the arts.
Kennedy connection
Maria Shriver is back at the Democratic convention, but this time she's not here as a journalist.
The longtime television reporter gave up her job as a correspondent for NBC's "Dateline" in January to avoid conflicts of interest when her Republican husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, became California's governor.
"It's the first convention I haven't covered in, like, four conventions, so it's bittersweet that way," Shriver said. "I'm a big believer that you take what life gives you and you move on and you make the best of it."
She has attended the fund-raiser for the RFK Memorial Foundation and the dedication of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, named for the matriarch of the Kennedy clan who was Shriver's grandmother.
Shriver will also be on hand at the Republican National Convention in New York next month, where Schwarzenegger is a featured speaker.
Rocking the vote
With his shaggy blond hair and spider-web tattoos that coursed down his arms, Everclear lead singer Art Alexakis stood out at the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego, California, as he interviewed delegates as a reporter for MTV.
Alexakis has since traded his shag for a spikier hairdo, but he remains a political convention standout -- this time as a Democratic delegate from Oregon.
While business suits were the choice for most delegates, Alexakis showed up for Monday's state delegation meeting in jeans and a cowboy-cut, short-sleeved shirt that exposed his many tattoos.
Alexakis now is being trailed by a camera crew for VH1, and has bookings with network reporters intrigued by his efforts to whet an appetite for politics among young people.
"When they saw that I can articulate more than the average rock 'n' roller guy, they wanted me to speak at political events," said Alexakis, 42, whose band rose to fame in the mid-1990s.
His politics are less radical than his appearance, he says.
"I'm tattooed, but I'm pretty middle class," he said. "My idea of a good time is sitting at home [in Portland] with my family, eating popcorn and watching a movie."
Stars, such as Andre 3000, John Cusack and hometown hero Ben Affleck, were sighted at several Democratic National Convention events Monday.
Most of those in the audience at the Boston Hip-Hop Summit on Monday were too young to vote, but just the right age to dash toward the stage and scream their heads off for hip-hop stars including Wyclef Jean, Reverend Run and Lloyd Banks.
About 2,000 people -- most of them kids -- attended the event, one of about two dozen voter registration events hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons has staged across the country.
"God knows all the old people are across town talking about our lives and our politics," Simmons, chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, said.
The co-founder of the Def Jam record label, who's also behind the Phat Farm fashion line, said "old people" don't respect the audience's language, music and clothing -- and at 46, he didn't include himself in that category.
"They need our direction. They really don't know how to govern themselves," Simmons said. "They've gotten all of us into a lot of trouble."
Sharing the stage with him on a panel about motivating young people was Simmons' brother, Reverend Run of the rap group Run-DMC. He had two pieces of advice for the crowd.
"No. 1 is believe in God," he said. "No. 2 is find out what you want to be and what you want to do and what you want to have. People start a process and then they give up. The key to success is continuing on."
And Jean, formerly of the Grammy-winning group The Fugees, had this bit of encouragement for the crowd: "I used to work at Burger King and the supervisor said I wouldn't amount to be nothing."
Lloyd Banks isn't thrilled about having his music labeled "gangsta rap." He says he's just trying to tell the truth in order to help other young men.
"My message comes across aggressive because of where I come from," said Banks, whose solo debut, "The Hunger for More," was recently at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. "I put my message out there without it being censored in hopes that someone growing up in another neighborhood won't go through that."
The 22-year-old, who grew up in the violent Jamaica section of Queens in New York, received the loudest cheers during the event.
The Affleck effect
Massachusetts delegates downing cups of coffee and scrambled eggs Monday morning were expecting a rousing political speech from House Democratic firebrand Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, and maybe a Kennedy sighting or two.
What they got was Ben Affleck.
Stunned delegates grabbed their cameras and rushed to the front of the room when the actor and Bostonian stepped out from behind the curtains as a guest of Rep. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts.
Cusack pitches in
John Cusack could have said anything, but the topic was politics when he talked to the Wisconsin delegates.
The actor made a surprise visit to their breakfast Monday to motivate his neighbors to the north to help elect John Kerry.
"I thought the last election was the most important of my life, but now it's clearly this one," the 38-year-old said. "And I don't remember a time when I thought I'd be coming to a political rally and be saying, you know, Richard Nixon was a moderate."
Cusack bonded with the Wisconsin delegates by reminding them his sister, Oscar-nominated actress Joan Cusack ("Working Girl," "In & Out"), attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
King of Idaho
Meet the Democratic Party's secret weapon in Idaho: Carole King.
The singer spoke to Washington and Idaho delegates Monday about how to persuade rural Republicans to vote for John Kerry.
It's not as hard as making the earth move or the sky come tumbling down, in the words of one of her more famous songs, she told the Democrats.
"Be aware of the unrest among some Republicans," said King, who lives in rural Idaho.
"I say, 'I respect the fact that you identify with the Republican party,"' she explained. "Then I say, 'Are you happy with the way things are?' "
King said she tells people, "You don't have to leave your party, but consider voting for a change. ... If you think it through, I respect that you will make the right decision for you."
Smart Alec
The cocktail party was organized to honor the work of Robert F. Kennedy, but the man everyone wanted to talk to was Alec Baldwin.
The actor was swarmed at a fund-raiser Monday evening for the RFK Memorial Foundation, with fans and stargazers -- many of them members of the Kennedy clan -- jockeying to have their picture taken with him.
"I never saw a clearer choice in my life," Baldwin said, describing the Bush administration as being "good at only two things: the economy -- and by that I mean stimulating the Dow, stimulating corporate profits and the Dow -- and waging war. And they basically screwed up both of them, or they're in the process of screwing up both of them."
Baldwin will participate in several events during the convention, including a panel about the Supreme Court and a discussion on politics and the arts.
Kennedy connection
Maria Shriver is back at the Democratic convention, but this time she's not here as a journalist.
The longtime television reporter gave up her job as a correspondent for NBC's "Dateline" in January to avoid conflicts of interest when her Republican husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, became California's governor.
"It's the first convention I haven't covered in, like, four conventions, so it's bittersweet that way," Shriver said. "I'm a big believer that you take what life gives you and you move on and you make the best of it."
She has attended the fund-raiser for the RFK Memorial Foundation and the dedication of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, named for the matriarch of the Kennedy clan who was Shriver's grandmother.
Shriver will also be on hand at the Republican National Convention in New York next month, where Schwarzenegger is a featured speaker.
Rocking the vote
With his shaggy blond hair and spider-web tattoos that coursed down his arms, Everclear lead singer Art Alexakis stood out at the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego, California, as he interviewed delegates as a reporter for MTV.
Alexakis has since traded his shag for a spikier hairdo, but he remains a political convention standout -- this time as a Democratic delegate from Oregon.
While business suits were the choice for most delegates, Alexakis showed up for Monday's state delegation meeting in jeans and a cowboy-cut, short-sleeved shirt that exposed his many tattoos.
Alexakis now is being trailed by a camera crew for VH1, and has bookings with network reporters intrigued by his efforts to whet an appetite for politics among young people.
"When they saw that I can articulate more than the average rock 'n' roller guy, they wanted me to speak at political events," said Alexakis, 42, whose band rose to fame in the mid-1990s.
His politics are less radical than his appearance, he says.
"I'm tattooed, but I'm pretty middle class," he said. "My idea of a good time is sitting at home [in Portland] with my family, eating popcorn and watching a movie."
